A. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to snowplows and more specifically to cylinders and rams for snowplows and the manner in which they are controlled.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the art to provide a snowplow on the front of a vehicle for displacing snow, sleet, ice and the like along a roadway, driveway, or other ground surface. Generally, a snowplow assembly will include a plow blade that is used to contact the snow and a mount assembly that is used to mount the snowplow mechanism to the vehicle. Many snowplow assemblies pivotally attach the plow blade to the mount assembly allowing the blade to pivot about a vertical pivot axis and direct plowed snow to either side of the vehicle path. The snowplow assembly may include one or more pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders to pivot the plow blade about the vertical pivot axis and direct the plowed snow. Often, these cylinders can be controlled from inside the vehicle during plowing. The mount assemblies are often pivotally attached to a vehicle for selectively raising and lowering the snowplow assembly using hydraulic controls located in the vehicle. The plow blade may also be pivotally attached to the mount assembly allowing the plow blade (or a portion of the blade) to pivot about a horizontal mounting axis. Springs, or trip springs, may connect between the plow blade and the mount assembly for biasing the plow blade in an upright position and for dampening the rotational movement about the horizontal mounting axis when the plow blade encounters an obstacle. This mechanism is often referred to as a trip or trip spring assembly.
While known plow blades generally work well for their intended purpose, they have disadvantages. One disadvantage is that known pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders can be heavy, which adds additional unwanted weight to a snowplow assembly. Therefore, what is needed is a snowplow assembly that resolves one or more of disadvantages in the prior art.
It is also know to use a wireless control system with a snowplow assembly. It is not known, however, to combine a wireless control system used to raise and lower a plow blade with a mechanism that automatically pivots the plow blade from side to side based on the load encountered by the plow blade.